Hero's Reasons and Backstory
Not to be confused with the hero's origin story and/or secret past, there comes a time in a story when the hero/heroine reveals his/her backstory and reasons for being who they are. This commonly happens when the protagonist: * Gets into an argument * Breaks his/her silence * Makes a confession/tells someone the truth * Longs for something * Introduces him/herself * Revealing a secret * Releasing stress * Revealing the angel within Sometimes, the hero's guardian/friend reveals the protagonist's reasons and backstory, which often makes the hero/heroine relatable and sympathetic, under these circumstances. The hero's reasons and backstory can also be implied and/or shown, usually in a flashback. Noteworthy Examples * When Jonathan tells Dracula the legend of the Lubove tragedy, the count reveals to him that humans murdered his wife, which is why he forbids humans from entering his hotel and Mavis from exploring the outside world. * Marlin lost his wife and all but one of his children to a predator attack, leading to his overprotection of Nemo. * When Star-Lord tries to break up an argument with his pals, Rocket inadvertently reveals his backstory of being used as a scientific experiment. * Garrett reveals to Kayley that he was once a stable boy who dreamed of becoming a knight, but was blinded in a fire. Sir Lionel trained him, but after Ruber murdered him, Garrett's dream and hopes were shot down, which led him to hide away in the Forbidden Forest. * Miguel Rivera dreams of becoming a musician like his great-great grandfather but has a hard time living in his household because after his distant relative supposedly abandoned his family, they forbid it. Nevertheless, he's determined to claim his destiny because he knows his family is supposed to guide him. * Merida dreams of freedom because she is trapped by castle life. * Shrek reveals to Donkey that he wants to be alone because people misjudge him before they get to know him. * During their argument, Mittens reveals to Bolt that her owners abandoned her and doesn't want the same thing to happen to her friend. * Bulletproof Jackson reveals that he started out as a traveling musician, but became a town hero after ridding Cole Junction of the Reaper Gang's tyranny. * The Beast's backstory is revealed in the beginning, as he was transformed into the hideous creature he is as punishment for his selfishness after turning away an old beggar woman. In the 2017 film, the objects reveal to Belle that when the Beast was a child, and before he was cursed his mother died and his horrible father took him in and twisted him up to be just like him, which was what made the prince nasty. * Hagrid reveals Harry Potter's backstory to him. * Tom Button explains to Benjamin why he left him in Queenie's care. * Jamal Malik reveals to the police chief why he signed up on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" * Eddie Valiant reveals to Roger Rabbit that he despises toons with every fiber of his being because a toon murdered his brother. * Nick Wilde reveals to Judy Hopps that he was living out the "sly fox" stereotype because didn't want anyone to take advantage of him, ever since he was bullied by prey animals as a child. * Nita reveals to Kenai that she didn't grab the bag she dropped in the river because she was afraid of the water ever since the day she fell through the ice when she and Kenai were children. * Maui reveals to Moana that his parents abandoned him as a child, but the gods rescued him and made him the hero he currently is. * Eggs, with Fish, tells Winnie Portley-Rind the story of how his father gave him to the Boxtrolls as an infant to rescue him from the wicked Archibald Snatcher. * Monkey tells Kubo the story of how she defied her wicked father and fell in love with Hanzo, leading to Kubo's birth and backstory. * Yusuf Khan tells Kamala that before she was born, her mother had birth problems when she was pregnant with Aamir. But five years later, Kamala was born, and her father thought she was the most perfect person he had ever seen, which led him to give her her name. Quotes Gallery Z explaining to his psychiatrist how insignifigant he feels.jpg|Z revealing his backstory to his therapist. Garrett telling Kayley about how he lost his dream of becoming a knight.png|Garrett telling Kayley about how he lost his dream of becoming a knight. Category:About Heroes Category:Heroic Events